Equinox
by AnnaTheVisitor
Summary: Edward's point of view of everything, starting with the fateful Prom. We have a long road ahead of us...


Starting with Epilogue: Occasion of Twilight, here's prom through Edward's point of view. Hope you like it :)

Disclaimer: I own no part of the Twilight franchise.

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This Week's Random Chapter: Edward's Pov of Prom

Impatience had me gritting my teeth.

Anticipation had me tapping my middle finger against the seam in my slacks.

Common sense kept me facing the door, away from the stairs as Alice had ordered. In her head, she was reciting the Armed Forces of America in Latin, each of her carefully placed footsteps causing the tempo of my tapping to increase. Rosalie was humming show tunes, successfully keeping me out of her head.

Alice peeked around the curve of the staircase and, seeing that I had followed her instructions, flashed down the stairs with Bella in her arms and gently set her on her feet. I focused intently on the wall ahead of me, wanting to be surprised as much as they wanted me to be, my fingers curling gently around the freesia I held in my left hand.

"Can I look?" My voice was rough with excitement, and Bella's heart leapt.

"Yes," Alice spoke. "Now."

I whirled, and when my eyes fell upon Bella I was frozen in place.

Her dark brown hair fell in a thousand ringlets down her back, elongating the ivory neck bared by the décolleté bodice of her hyacinth dress. The blue perfectly accented her cream-and-roses skin, enhanced by the blush blooming on her cheeks; the cloth flowered around her, fluttering to a stop at ankles sheathed by a satin-ribboned shoe and black cast. Her eyes, glowing brown, were unusually surrounded by a halo of mascara, and lipstick matched the glistening red of her nails.

I found myself slowly walking toward her, half afraid she was only a figment of my imagination.

"Alice, Rosalie... Thank you," I whispered, unable to take my eyes off of the sumptuous beauty before me. I had thought it impossible for Bella to be even more lovely than she already was; Alice, of course, with the help of our sister, had proved me wrong.

Seated at the piano, Alice laughed joyously.

I closed the distance between Bella and I in one stride, taking her chin in my hand and bending my lips to her throat.

Her heart sang out to me, the perfume surrounding my every sense one hundred percent _Bella_. "It _is_ you," I marveled, pulling away to reveal the white flowers in my palm. "Freesia," I answered her confused expression as I carefully fastened them to her curls. "Completely redundant as far as fragrance is concerned, of course."

I leaned back again, taking her face in my hands with a smile. Her heart stuttered and raced, the most pleasing sound in the world. "You are absurdly beautiful," I reminded her.

"You took my line," she answered, her voice low. "Just when I convince myself that you're actually real, you show up looking like this and I'm afraid I'm dreaming again."

Time to prove to her that I was real... That everything was.

I bent quickly, fluidly lifting her into my arms and bringing her face dangerously close to mine. She wrapped her arms around my neck, anticipating my next action. No room to disappoint; I leaned closer still-

"Watch the lipstick!" Alice chirped.

I chuckled darkly, thinking of defying her, but I kissed her throat instead. It was almost easy now, or easier, I should say, to keep the monster at bay. Venom still pooled in my mouth, but it had become much simpler to swallow.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked Bella.

She frowned, the V between her eyes making her appear like a stubborn child. "Is anyone going to tell me what the occasion is?"

"She hasn't guessed?" I turned to Alice.

"No," she grinned. Bella huffed, and I laughed.

"What am I missing?" she demanded.

"Don't worry, you'll figure it out soon enough," I promised, carrying her out the door.

_See you there_, Alice thought.

I had to bend low to set Bella in the passenger seat of my Aston Martin; the silver car sat nearly on the ground.

"What's this?" Bella looked around herself, startled. "Where's the Volvo?"

"The Volvo is my everyday car," I told her slowly, sliding in behind the wheel. "This is a special occasion car."

That set her mouth. I began the drive out of the woods, twisting through trees toward the highway. "At what point exactly are you going to tell me what's going on?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm shocked you haven't figured it out yet," I replied, turning to grin at her. She was so observant and intuitive; even if she _had_ completely overlooked the bright posters proclaiming the date, even if she _had_ been ignoring Jessica Stanley blather about today all week, what else could it possibly be that required an elegant dress, date, and special occasion car?

"I did mention that you looked very nice, didn't I?" She sounded so nervous.

"Yes," I smiled. I could almost see her trying to work it out in her head. What I wouldn't give to really be able to see into it; irritation flared, ignited by my frustration toward her silent thoughts.

"I'm not going to come over anymore if Alice is going to treat me like Guinea Pig Barbie when I do," Bella threatened, and I smirked, irritation replaced by amusement. The torture she must have gone through at Alice's capable hands.

Silent seconds ticked by as we sped along the road to Forks High school. The little V between her eyes reappeared, and I knew she must have been trying to guess our destination. What I wouldn't give to hear her guesses...

I was just beginning the turn onto the highway when a sharp buzzing from inside my jacket alerted me of an incoming call; I shifted my hold on the steering wheel to pluck it out of the pocket, glancing at the screen an instant before holding it to my ear.

"Hello, Charlie." I kept my tone subdued, yet concerned; a tense heartbeat passed as I considered the possible reasons for his call.

"Charlie?" Bella objected as he began to explain.

"It seems as if you have some competition," he said gruffly. "I have a guy in a tux on my doorstep asking for Bella. Has a corsage and everything." Charlie snorted, and a wicked grin spread across my face.

"You're kidding!" I laughed.

"I'm assuming you know a Tyler Crowley?" Heavy sarcasm.

Tyler Crowley. How anyone could be so ignorant, I couldn't fathom; Bella and I rarely parted. "Why don't you let me talk to him?"

I listened to the shuffling of Charlie passing his phone to Tyler, and his voice as he answered. "Hello?" Confidence blew off the word in waves.

"Hello, Tyler, this is Edward Cullen," I said lightly. "I'm sorry if there's been some miscommunication, but Bella is unavailable tonight." I let malice leak into the words. "To be perfectly honest, she'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned." Perhaps that was a bit much. "No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening." But not sorry enough to make it sound remotely genuine, or enough to keep myself from hanging up on him with a grin I barely held controlled.

I could feel the heat of Bella's blush from across the small car. I turned to her, assuming she had finally guessed, but her eyes flashed with fury, glossed over with wetness as she glowered at me with unforgiving anger.

I blinked in shock; was her reaction due to my treatment of Tyler Crowley? "Was that last part a bit too much? I didn't mean to offend you."

Her jaw locked. "You're taking me to _the prom_!" she accused.

I turned back to the road, my hands tightening on the wheel. "Don't be difficult, Bella," I said, trying in vain to remain unaffected by the betrayal and fear in her expression.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she wailed, alarmed by our proximity to the school.

"Honestly, Bella, what did you think we were doing?" I demanded, facing her again with a motion toward the black tuxedo I wore.

She turned her face away from me, a curtain of long dark curls veiling her eyes. I watched the road at first, frustrated, but my attention was swayed when I saw her hand move; she was wiping her eyes.

I'd made her _cry_.

She examined the wetness on her fingertips before smoothing them out on her dress.

But she didn't have to react like this! "This is completely ridiculous. Why are you crying?" My voice did nothing to hide the desperation I felt.

"Because I'm _mad_!" she snapped.

I knew how to handle situations like these. I knew I did. But that didn't mean I wanted to, no matter how pleasing Bella's reactions were.

I turned towards her once more, and, staring deeply into her dark eyes, I spoke her name. Almost immediately, her heart rate dramatically increased, thudding so loudly it filled the entire car with its sweet music.

"What," she mumbled, attempting to sound nonchalant and failing as her anger faltered.

"Humor me."

She didn't look away, and neither did I. Luckily, the highway was mostly a straight road to the school, with only a few turns I had by memory. I could almost see her resolve quivering as her breathing quickened; warmth soaked through every fiber of my being.

"Fine," she finally snapped, "I'll go quietly. But you'll see. I'm way overdue for more bad luck." I grimaced, unable to deny it. "I'll probably break my other leg," she ranted. "Look at this shoe! It's a death trap!" Bella extended her right leg, a slender, curving line wrapped in blue satin ribbon; the skirt of her dress fell off of it like water.

"Hmm." I couldn't take my eyes off the supple expanse of ivory skin. "Remind me to thank Alice for that tonight."

"Alice is going to be there?" Her expression brightened slightly.

Who would have guessed Alice and Bella's relationship had blossomed since we returned to Forks from Phoenix; she visited Bella and her father nearly every day. The two had truly become best friends, which of course Alice claimed to have seen all along.

"With Jasper, and Emmett," I continued, afraid to tell her the last name. "And Rosalie."

Her light enthusiasm immediately disappeared, her lips pressing into a straight line as she looked away. I sighed; Rosalie had gotten nowhere in her relationship with Bella. It wasn't out of fear for our family's secret as she claimed for it to be, but the jealousy that overcame her every time she noticed a human male looking Bella's direction rather than hers. I had to admit, it didn't make me any happier...

Bella shook her head slightly, as if to shake away her thoughts. Her thoughts- another dilemma driving me mad.

"Is Charlie in on this?"

"Of course," I laughed. "Apparently Tyler wasn't, though." I smirked when Bella locked her jaw yet again, an obvious sign of irritation at Tyler Crowley. Deep satisfaction washed through me at knowing that it hadn't been my harsh words to Tyler that enraged her; I guessed she liked him about as much as I did.

The idea pleased me.

I'd thought I'd made our relationship obvious; I was always by her side, in the hallway, at lunch... And I wasn't shy about kissing her in public, either...

I shook the demented Tyler Crowley from my head, thoughts of anticipation and excitement greeting me as I pulled into the school parking lot. We were right on time- somehow, my siblings had arrived before us, as well as about half the student body, tasteless music playing from the school's gymnasium; I parked the Aston Martin across from Rosalie's _ostentatious_ BMW, cutting the engine and climbing out of the car swiftly. Walking at a rather slow human pace, I circled the car to open Bella's door, delighting in the fact that she let me, or rather, had no other choice. Seeing her foot plastered to the ground in a bulky black cast was constantly the source of guilt I felt in her presence; would I never stop owing her?

I swallowed my self-conflict, pulling the passenger door open to reveal a smirking Bella, with her hands crossed over her chest.

I offered her my hand, raising my eyebrows.

It was one of those rare moments in which her thoughts were perfectly clear: she wasn't moving, and I couldn't move her. There were people watching; force wasn't an option. I almost growled; she was so stubborn! I sighed. "When someone wants to kill you, you're brave as a lion- and then when someone mentions dancing..."

Swallowing hard, her eyes widened in fear. She picked at the nail polish on her right forefinger.

Exasperated, I gave up. "Bella, I won't let anything hurt you- not even yourself. I won't let go of you once, I promise."

Slowly, the worry in her expression faded. Her heartbeat slowed as my words sunk in, and indecision became the dominant expression on her absurdly lovely face.

"There, now," I purred, leaning toward her, "it won't be so bad." I bent to wind my arm around her, and smiled as she took my hand; it was still electric. Setting her gently on the street, I kept my arm around her waist, feeling her lean into me as I carried most of her weight.

Perry Farrell blasted from the speakers, audible even to human ears halfway across the lot. I looked to Bella as we approached the entrance, ignoring the impossibly loud and irrelevant thoughts that bounced harmlessly off my conscience. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the standard decorations and set-up, a chuckle escaping her lips. I raised my eyebrows, and she looked at me.

The sparse light cast long shadows across her face, illuminating her flawless skin and enhancing her profile. Twinkle lights on the walls sparkled in her eyes with a beauty that left me speechless, awestruck as her perfect lips curved up in a smile. I struggled to compose myself before she could catch the wonder in my expression, trying to focus on her voice...

"This looks like a horror movie waiting to happen," she teased as I led her to the gym.

"Well, there are more than enough vampires present," I reminded her. She turned her gaze to the dance floor, watching my siblings whirl elegantly to the blaring rock music. Alice caught my eye.

_Watch out,_ she thought, showing me a vision of a young boy asking Bella to dance while she was clearly still in my arms. I immediately recognized Jacob Black- the boy I'd made jealous when I kissed Bella's neck in her truck, ages ago. The one who lived in Quileute territory.

Resentment flared when I remembered his obviously longing thoughts towards Bella... And what she'd done to him to extract information about my family. It had been just as I'd expected: devastating. Her flirting had left him hopelessly infatuated, and it didn't seem that she was entirely averse to him, either; she didn't smile at anyone else like she smiled at him...

Bella huffed a sigh. I turned my attention to her, watching in fascination as her eyes followed the perfectly matched pairs of immortals glide effortlessly across the wood-laminated floor. Perhaps sensing my gaze, Bella looked up at me from under her lashes, wicked humor in her eyes. "Would you like me to bolt the doors so you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?" she asked, smirking.

I glowered at her pointedly. "And where do you fit into that scheme?" How easily she teased me about my family's secret; if I didn't trust her completely, it might've bothered me.

"Oh, I'm with the vampires, of course."

She would choose me over her own race? There had to be another explanation. "Anything to get out of dancing," I guessed, my lips quirking at the thought.

"Anything," she agreed.

I truly was getting better at guessing her thoughts. I led Bella to the white table before the entrance, pulling the two prom tickets I had purchased from my coat pocket and handing them to Mrs. Cope behind the booth.

_Another Cullen_, she thought, remembering her astonishment at seeing my siblings arrive. _I've never seen them outside of school... But he does look so nice with Miss Swan... And she looks so happy..._ She smiled, handing me the two ticket stubs and waving us in.

I blinked in surprise; she thought Bella looked happier when she was with me. Could that be true? My heart swelled as we entered the gym. _Selfish_, I chided myself, noting Bella's limp and the obvious scar on her right wrist, standing silver against her ivory skin, both reminders of what my presence had done to her.

_My fault, my fault, my fault..._

But... If I made her happy...

I dropped my gaze once more to the beautiful girl on my arm, the way she placed her complete and utter faith in me, pure and fragile love she poured into my hands with a trust I had neither earned nor deserved, but craved nonetheless. I knew I couldn't live without her. But I also knew she needed the chance to live without me; I would not be a source of anguish in her life. I-I couldn't. So much of her human life I had already taken away; may I be damned if I take any more.

Determination had me leading Bella by the hand to the middle of the dance floor, a wide expanse of ground no other human dared to breach. Jasper, a tiny Alice in his arms, silently alerted me of Bella's extremely nervous state a moment before she did.

"Edward," she rasped anxiously, "I _honestly_ can't dance!" Her heart raced wildly as I turned to her, easily reading the panic in her eyes.

"Don't worry, silly," I answered, keeping my voice just above the music level for her to hear, taking a hint from her hushed tone. "I _can_." I took her free hand in mine, placing them both around my neck. When they tightened securely there, her scent swimming around me as a blush colored her cheeks, I moved my hands to her waist, effortlessly lifting her body to place her toes on mine. Electricity stirred the air around us, her proximity making my breathing rapid as I began to dance.

It was nothing at all to keep the rhythm moving my feet, barely keeping in check the movements of my siblings as we all whirled, perfectly coordinated, the wind of our flight catching Bella's hair and blowing it behind her in gentle waves. _Beautiful_ was too little a word to describe her; with her wide chocolate eyes capturing every scene and magnifying them in opulence, the soft blue of her masterfully-cut dress melting her skin to liquid ivory and makeup enhancing her every feature, Bella was not merely _beautiful_. She was radiant as the sun.

"I feel like I'm five years old," Bella giggled. Her laugh was stolen away as we spun across the room, our movements viewed from a hundred eyes around us and thrown back at me with petty jealousy or slight regret at seeing the one they wanted in the arms of another. I hadn't expected dancing with Bella to be this wonderful, but with her lips slowly curving up into an accepting smile, feeling her in my arms this way...

"You don't look five," I responded quietly, using the hand I has wrapped around her waist to lift her face closer to mine. I could feel her heartbeat on my lips...

_Edward_. Alice dumped her vision on me: Jacob Black was walking toward the school right now. I lowered Bella back onto my feet, refusing to deviate from our dancing. Alice smiled at Bella, and Bella smiled back, not concerned in the least by Alice's sharp row of teeth.

Overwhelming embarrassment flooded through the gymnasium doors; I turned my eyes angrily to the offender, a young boy indescribably uncomfortable and walking nervously to meet us.

"Okay, this isn't half bad," Bella said from my arms. I could hear from the smile in her voice that she hadn't yet seen Jacob Black advancing toward her, but when I felt her stiffen I knew she'd followed my glare and had spotted the child intent on delivering a message that was the source of his mortification. I froze our movement.

He had been dying to see Bella for months. He'd felt wretchedly guilty when he heard the news that Bella had "run away" and had been desperate to visit her since he'd heard of her return.

_I can't believe he's making me do this... Well, no, I can't believe I agreed to doing this. I'm going to humiliate us both. I only hope her boyfriend understands._

He couldn't meet my eyes, knowing what he was about to do. Jacob Black had a crush on Bella, more potent than Mike or any of my other rivals; he was planning to tear the girl from my side in order to redeem the bribe he'd been given to pass on his father's message. A growl tore up my throat, which I quickly tried to quash before it could echo across the room. It came subdued, but it didn't keep Bella from ordering me to behave. How could she expect me to do so when fury had me yearning to rip the unsuspecting boy apart?

"He wants to chat with you," I tried to explain, my voice seething with the resentment I felt. I knew I wouldn't be able to control my voice by the time he asked Bella to dance.

"Hey, Bella, I was hoping you would be here," Jacob lied, taking in her beauty and smiling. I tightened my hold on Bella's waist infinitesimally, defensive.

Mine.

"Hi, Jacob." Bella's smile was just as friendly. She's just being polite, I told myself, trying to swallow my increasing irritation before it could get out of hand.

Finally, nervously, Jacob Black looked to me. "Can I cut in?" he asked.

I did not speak. I was afraid that if I did, I would betray Bella's command to behave by snarling at him savagely. _No_, I wanted to growl, but there was no polite way to say it. It was with great effort that I unwillingly relinquished Bella to him.

"Thanks." His voice was friendly. _So sorry,_ he thought, as if he knew I could hear.

I nodded blankly, keeping my expression remote as I gave Bella a parting glance, trying to convey warning and apology before I turned to stand against the far wall.

My eyes never left Bella's face as Jacob timidly-yet excitedly-put his arms around Bella's waist, and in return she placed her hands on his shoulders; it did not escape the Quileute's notice that Bella glanced at me twice. He analyzed the way she looked at me, recognizing that she was obviously in love with me.

Good.

_She's wearing that nasty perfume again,_ he thought, wrinkling his nose for an instant. I almost laughed out loud; like the last time he and Bella had been together, my scent blanketed her own, offending the long-lost werewolf gene he would never come to know and distinctly proclaiming me a vampire, a fact that he would never come to recognize.

I had to admit, he was smarter than I gave him credit for. He respected my claim on the girl held foremost is his thoughts, shallow desires he wished didn't exist for the sake of his own mental stability. He delighted in their idle chit-chat, relieved beyond belief that she was safe and apparently happy._ I wish I could really dance with her. I wish I could do something to really impress her... I wish I didn't have to stand here babbling like an idiot and I wish I could really enjoy this time with her_. I analyzed her every movement, the tiny quirks in her expression and position; she seemed completely unaware of his infatuation. Still... It had my teeth on edge. I wanted so much to claim her back before the subject was changed and the boy would be forced to deliver his message; how would she react to a warning from a family she had known her whole life? Would it be like it had before, when Billy Black, the Quileute elder, had come to warn her of our kind and she had defended my family? Or would she, having witnessed and experienced what I could do, finally understand, and leave me for the boy holding her so happily? A flash of terror suddenly gripped my stone heart. I ordered it away, faithful in her love and confident enough that her mind would not change so suddenly.

"So how did you end up here tonight?" Bella's voice held no real curiosity. I held my breath.

Jacob Black chuckled awkwardly. "Can you believe my dad paid me twenty bucks to come to your prom?"

"Yes, I can." Bella rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Well, I hope you're enjoying yourself, at least. See anything you like?" She gestured toward a wall lined with females who had come with their friends, either talking in small groups or standing with plastic cups of punch.

"Yeah," Jacob answered, "but she's taken."

It took every ounce of control I possessed not to let loose the volley of snarls boiling in my chest. That would not be socially acceptable. My siblings still danced in the middle of the floor, as aware of me as I was of them. However, I carefully ignored Emmett's curiosity and Rosalie's purposeful disregard, along with Jasper's confusion and Alice's hard distaste. My eyes never left Bella's face as her eyes dropped in embarrassment, and slid to my face once more without seeming to think about it.

"You look really pretty, by the way," Jacob Black said sheepishly, unable to meet her eyes. The comment, so trivial, left me reeling. _Pretty_? Did he honestly believe that she was merely _pretty_? Did he not see the perfection in everything about her, the gentle curves of her body, the candle-like glow of her complexion, the silken texture of her hair, her dress, her skin, the warm chocolate of her eyes? The flowing liquid of her speech? His inadequate observation, meant as a compliment, enraged me. _Pretty_. Could he truly not come up with a better adjective? Degrading her to _pretty_was absolutely infuriating. The definition of _pretty_ was "attractive in a delicate way without being truly beautiful." On what planet did he live on?!

"Um, thanks," Bella muttered. "So why did Billy pay you to come here?" It calmed me to hear her change the subject; it was just like her to do so.

Jacob Black was not as pleased as I was. _Damn. How do I start? She's gonna think I'm such a freak_. He didn't want to lose her friendship. _Then again, she must think I'm a freak already. What was I thinking, complimenting her like that with her boyfriend ten yards away?_ What, indeed. "He said it was a 'safe' place to talk to you. I swear the old man is losing his mind," he said, trying to laugh. Bella was kind enough to laugh with him gently so as not to make him feel even more uncomfortable. I focused on that unease, basing their relationship upon it.

"Anyway," he continued, thinking it best to put the motive out there first, "he said that if I told you something, he'd get the master cylinder I need." He smiled, trying to alleviate tension.

Comprehension dawned on Bella's face. This was something she knew about, something she understood. "Tell me then," she urged, smiling back at Jacob in that way that made jealousy curl my fingers. "I want you to get your car finished." I worked to maintain a passive expression, one that would not reveal my tension to Bella or anyone else who might be watching. I knew I was right to do so as her eyes flickered once more to mine and back to Jacob's. The effort was wasted; Jacob dropped his eyes as soon as she raised hers to his.

"Don't get mad, okay?" he requested.

"There's no way I'll be mad at you, Jacob," Bella promised gently, smiling in encouragement. "I won't even be mad at Billy. Just say what you have to." She had no idea what she'd just promised. I found myself hoping she would break that promise...

"Well... This is so stupid, I'm sorry Bella- he wants you to break up with your boyfriend. He asked me to tell you 'please.'" I held my breath, anxious for her reaction.

"Still superstitious, eh?" She was going to treat it like a joke. I sighed in relief.

"Yeah. He was... kind of over the top when you got hurt down in Phoenix." Not that Jacob had fared any better; a memory flashed through his head, days in which he'd been absolutely beside himself with worry, for a completely different reason than his father. "He didn't believe..." Embarrassment had his words slipping to the floor with his gaze.

"I fell." Bella's words were hard and firm. I was surprised at her sudden ability to lie.

"I know that," Jacob defended himself.

"He thinks Edward has something to do with me getting hurt," she accused, quiet anger building beneath her voice. She halted their movement, her hands balling into fists around Jacob's neck.

_She's mad. Dammit, Billy! She must hate me. Not that it would matter much. Any idiot can hear the way she says his name. _He still couldn't look up from the floor.

"Look, Jacob," Bella spoke, "I know Billy probably won't believe this, but just so you know, Edward really did save my life. If it weren't for Edward and his father, I'd be dead." I shuddered at the words, knowing they were only half way true. If it weren't for me, she never would have been in danger of death to begin with.

"I know," Jacob insisted, shocked that the very quiet girl he knew was capable of such fervent words. She truly believed them, and he could tell that she was trying to make him believe them, too.

"Hey, I'm sorry you had to come do this, Jacob," Bella said, trying to wrap up the conversation. "At any rate, you get your parts, right?"

Still mortified, the boy contemplated just leaving things the way they were. "Yeah," he mumbled, uncertain.

Ever intuitive, Bella picked up on his awkward indecision. "There's more?" she cried, incredulous.

"Forget it," Jacob decided. _No way I'm embarrassing myself even_ more. "I'll get a job and save the money myself."

He had dropped his gaze again, and he could almost _feel_ her glowering at him. He knew that she would be curious. Finally, unwillingly, he raised his eyes to hers.

"Just spit it out, Jacob." Her tone quirked my lips; she looked about to threaten.

"It's so bad," Jacob tried to dissuade her.

"I don't care. Tell me."

"Okay..." Jacob deliberated, "but, geez, this sounds bad." _Not worth it not worth it not worth it too late!_ "He said to tell you, no, to warn you, that- and this is his plural, not mine"- his hand released Bella's waist to form quotations with his fingers- "'We'll be watching.'" He replaced his hand, studying her face for any sign of anger and admiring the way her dress set off her skin. I almost snarled yet again, jealousy digging its claws into my chest as I could only watch him hold her, the love he felt for her a thousand times weaker than mine, yet strong enough to make him not only care about what she thought of him, but also inspire him to finish his car so that he could visit her without his father's authorization. She had asked him to visit her in Forks once his car was done. Fury held me frozen as Bella threw back her head and laughed.

"Sorry you had to do that, Jake," she grinned, her casual use of his nickname setting my teeth on edge.

"I don't mind _that_ much," he assured her. I had no chance to recover my envy before he quickly took in the length of her body, noting her beauty with appreciative eyes. _At least I got to see her so pretty. That makes it worth it, I guess._ "So should I tell him you said to butt the hell out?" _That'd be hilarious to see._

"No. Tell him I said thanks." I focused on her face, the movement of her lips, trying to distract myself from the very intriguing idea of charging across the room and snatching Bella from the boy I loathed in this moment as much as the pitiful Mike Newton. "I know he means well." She released his neck, obviously intending for him to do the same, but his hands lingered at her waist. _I don't want to leave._ _Maybe she... Maybe I could..._ "Do you want to dance again?" I launched myself across the room. "Or can I help you get somewhere?"

Finally, I thought, placing myself solidly at Bella's side. "That's all right, Jacob." My voice was surprisingly controlled. "I'll take it from here."

Bella never flinched, angling her body almost instantly toward me, away from the boy who dropped his hands on her waist and stood shocked at my sudden appearance at Bella's side.

"Hey, I didn't see you there." _Has he been standing there the while time?_ _Oh well, I'll take it that's my cue to leave._ "I guess I'll see you around, Bella," he said, taking a step away from her and raising a hand to wave goodbye. _God, he looks like he's gonna kill me. And he kind of smells like that perfume Bella wears. Wonder why she likes it._

"Yeah, I'll see you later," Bella answered him. I stood defensively, protectively, beside her, staring him down. It gave me pleasure to watch his discomfort as he muttered another apology and left, walking briskly toward his father's truck, desperate for escape.

It was an acute relief to wrap my arms around Bella's waist, feeling her sigh in contentment as I lifted her back atop my feet, feeling her arms lock around my neck, feeling her head rest against the lapel of my jacket. The calming effects of her proximity were already assuaging my tightly-wound fury, but it was not enough to ebb my blatant jealousy. Just remembering his arms around her, his wishes, the way he viewed Bella... It had my lip curling. His foul scent still clouded hers...

"Better?" Bella asked lightly, her voice drawing me back to the present.

"Not really." The exchange reminded me of a much worse time, back so long ago in Port Angeles, when I'd needed her to distract me from the thoughts of monsters I _still_ felt the burning need to rip apart. The memory did not help my mood.

Bella sighed. "Don't be mad at Billy," she said, misperceiving my anxiety. "He just worries about me for Charlie's sake. It's nothing personal." Wrong again.

"I'm not mad at Billy," I disagreed tensely. "But his son is irritating me." It wouldn't do at all to use the word _infuriating_ as I wished I could. Bella was already pushing away from me to look into my eyes, obviously displeased.

"Why?"

Where to start? "First of all, he made me break my promise." It wasn't a good idea to reveal my jealousy, I decided. Keep the "irritation" light. If I was lucky, I'd never have to deal with Jacob Black again.

Bella stared at me blankly; she must have forgotten my promise already. "I promised I wouldn't let go of you tonight," I reminded her with the slightest smile.

"Oh. Well, I forgive you," she replied easily.

"Thanks... But there's something else," I confessed, unable to hide it from her.

Her expression didn't change, waiting expectantly for an explanation, I supposed.

"He called you _pretty_." The word had somehow become vile. "That's practically an insult, the way you look right now. You're much more than beautiful."

"You might be a little biased," she said with a laugh.

"I don't think that's it," I disagreed, her positivity melting away my anger, as was her habit. "Besides, I have excellent eyesight."

Bella argued no further as I led us back into the midst of dancing, falling effortlessly into step with my siblings. Emmett and Rosalie decided at that moment to go for a walk outside the school, heading for the woods, leaving Bella and me with Alice and Jasper. I watched Bella closely, my hands on her waist, a stray hair on her forehead drawing my attention. I observed it fluttering recklessly, noticed by none but me, before placing my left hand on the small of Bella's back, securing her to me so as to sweep the lock of hair back into place with my fingers.

"So are you ever going to explain the reason for all this?" Bella suddenly inquired. I frowned, confused. Reason for what?

She gestured with her eyes around the room, the twisted ribbons of colored paper and balloons that decorated the walls and ceiling.

Oh. She meant the prom.

I was ready to tell her why I had brought her to the prom... But not here, with countless humans within hearing reach. I led us toward the edge of the gym that led directly outside, the back door propped open to allow cool air inside. The crowd parted for us to pass, earning baleful and curious gazes as we whirled past them.

_Just don't know what he sees in her..._

_Why would_ she _pick_ him_?_

_They look good together... But damn, I wish..._

_Bitch cost me a prom date._

I glared menacingly toward Lauren Mallory for an instant; her malicious thoughts toward Bella would soon prove to be a mistake. I'd have to think about that one...

_I still can't believe he asked me..._

Ah, Angela Weber, dancing joyously with Ben Cheney. I nodded to myself, pleased with my work.

As we took the final step outside, I scooped Bella into my arms, cradling her to my chest and stirring her scent around me. It hit the back of my throat and slid down as fire, reminding me yet again, not only the difference between us, not only why I had brought her here tonight, but just how wrong it was for us to be here together. She deserved better than a hopeless future. I remembered suddenly how she had looked in Jacob Black's arms at one point; laughing, natural, dancing with someone as human as she was. Someone who would never dream of hurting her. That was where she belonged, not with a monster capable of breaking her fragile form with less than the flick of its fingers. I knew truth... But I did not accept it. There was no feeling in the world like holding Bella as we danced, knowing she was happy and seeing her smile in my arms. These things that meant so much to me were beautiful, but they should not exist. I should not exist.

I found a rusty, ill-used bench far enough away from any humans that no one would notice us. It had not rained today-a shock, that- and so the bench was dry to sit upon. I kept Bella in my arms as I settled us into the hard metal, her arms still around my neck. I could feel her eyes on my face as I peered between the branches of a madrone tree behind us to find the moon, shining pale white against the darkening blue of the sky.

"The point?" Bella's voice was so gentle. How could anything ever wish to disrupt such perfection? I was abruptly consumed with a violent need to ensure that Bella's perfection never would end. Bella could not cease to exist. I would not allow it.

Contrary to my resolution, or perhaps enlightening it, the light of day hung in perfect balance with the imminent dark of night, both sun and moon visible in a rare yet frequent moment of polar opposites coexisting flawlessly together and with no disruption.

"Twilight, again." I spoke the words as if they belonged to someone else. "No matter how perfect the day is, it always has to end."

Bella stiffened in my arms. "Some things don't have to end," she said through clenched teeth.

She wanted to join me in my world; I wanted her to be forever. Our desires were identical in the matter of how they were to be solved; however, the loss of Bella's heartbeat was the true tragedy of the situation, for when it ended, so would her humanity. Everything at made her who she was - her love, her compassion, her purity - was at risk of being lost with immortality.

I would not be the reason behind such destruction.

I knew then that I couldn't have what I wanted, for I wanted something far greater for her than anything I wanted for myself.

"I brought you to the prom," I said, deliberately forming each word, "because I don't want you to miss anything. I don't want my presence to take anything away from you, if I can help it. I want you to be _human_. I want your life to continue as it would have if I'd died in nineteen-eighteen like I should have." Yes - this was what I wanted. For her. For she was everything.

Bella shivered in my arms; it belatedly occurred to me that she must be cold.

"In what strange parallel dimension would I _ever_ have gone to prom of my own free will?" she demanded. "If you weren't a thousand times stronger than me, I would never have let you get away with this."

Ah, her scoff was endearing; it almost made me smile. Almost, but not quite. I still writhed with the knowledge that I would never really get what I wanted more than nearly anything in the world. I was, truly, the world's most selfish creature.

Bella expected an answer. "It wasn't so bad, you said so yourself," I said.

"That's because I was with you."

My eyes had never left the moon; it now dominated the majority of the sky, sunlight diminished to near nothing.

What was it about human life that was so repellant to her? What made her want to give it up so easily? Humanity was something anyone in our family would trade anything for; once Bella saw humanity through the eyes of a monster, once it was too late, she would feel the same.

But what was it about _prom_ that was so repellant to her? The most trivial of things, she had been absolutely horrified upon learning that _prom_ was our destination for the evening. Was it merely her absurd fear of dancing? Or could it have been... _Disappointment_? But then, she would have had to have some expectation...

The old curiosity gnawed at me. I had to know.

Dropping my gaze from the moon to Bella's eyes, which were already boring into mine, I tried once more to smile. "Will you tell me something?"

She smiled back. "Don't I always?"

Her faith in me had my smile growing. "Just promise you'll tell me," I pressed, guessing that if she didn't promise she would try to get out of answering me.

Her lips pressed together, suspicion narrowing her eyes. "Fine," she clipped.

"You seemed honestly surprised when you figured out I was taking you here -"

"I was," she interrupted.

"Exactly. But you must have had some other theory - what did you _think_ I was dressing you up for?"

She flinched, her mouth twisted in distaste. "I don't want to tell you," she confessed.

"You promised," I reminded her, glad that she had.

"I know," she sighed, biting her lip.

"What's the problem?" I asked gently, guessing at embarrassment being at the top of her list. It shouldn't be so shameful for her to share her thoughts.

"I think it will make you mad... Or sad," she said.

Oh- she didn't want to tell me because she was afraid of hurting my feelings. Her attempt to divert me only had the opposite effect; curiosity burned like a thirst. What could she possibly have expected that she thought would hurt my feelings?

"I still want to know," I told her. "Please?"

She sighed, deliberating. The silence was as maddening as it always had been.

"Well..." she said hesitantly, "I assumed it was some kind of... Occasion. But I didn't think it would be some trite human thing... Prom!" she muttered derisively.

"Human?" So she had expected something from my kind. No wonder she hadn't wanted to tell me.

Bella couldn't meet my eyes, busying herself with a loose strand on her dress. It came off easily between her fingers, and she studied the chiffon fiber briefly before releasing it to the mercy of the wind.

"Okay," she began, "so I was hoping that you might have changed your mind... That you were going to change _me, _after all."

She looked up at me nervously from beneath her eyelashes, watching my reaction.

No. _No_. She didn't know what she was asking for. Why would she want that? I couldn't understand the workings of Bella's mind, and that frustrated me to no end. It was bad enough having to deny myself what _I_ wanted; the fact that I would have to deny Bella what _she_ wanted made the situation ten times worse. I wanted to give her the world, give her everything she wanted. Why did she make that so difficult? So _painful_?

I couldn't decide which we more painful: knowing, or knowing that I'd never know.

Bella expected a response from me. Better, I decided, not to alarm her with my anguish. Surely there was a way to make the subject lighter; I wracked my brain for a way to construe her desire for a soulless future into something not-devastating.

She thought I'd dressed her up to change her? Yes, that idea seemed almost laughable. I composed myself enough to smile at her, pinching the lapel of my coat between my fingers. "You thought that would be a black-tie occasion, did you?" I grinned.

Bella blushed an instant before dropping her head and glaring at the ground. "I don't know how these things work," she defended herself. "To me, at least, it seems more rational than prom does." She peeked up to find me still carefully amused. "It's not funny," she insisted.

I sighed. "No, you're right, it's not. I'd rather treat it like a joke, though, than believe you're serious."

"But I am serious," she pointed out.

"I know." She was always serious about these things. "And you're really that willing?" Asking her for confirmation on her twisted desires; never a good idea when trying to keep my composure.

Bella measured my expression for a moment, her eyes searching mine carefully. The twilight was fading into evening; the moon reflected back at me in her dark eyes.

Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, a sign of indecision, Bella nodded.

Yes.

This was what she wanted. She was ready.

"So ready for this to be the end," I whispered, "for this to be the twilight of your life, though your life has barely started. You're ready to give up everything." There had to be a way to make her see.

"It's not the end, it's the beginning."

"I'm not worth it," I tried to warn her, but even I could hear the ancient grief in my voice.

"Do you remember when you told me that I didn't see myself very clearly? You obviously have the same blindness," Bella said decisively.

"I know what I am."

She exhaled, and the night drew quiet.

I was curious now, though, if she really had thought this through. If she was prepared to make the choice, were she forced to. If the circumstances were real, would she still choose me? She'd felt the pain; I shuddered. Would she know death as a sweeter option?

I examined Bella's face, and she looked back at me with those wide, bewildered eyes I'd come to love. Humans often wanted things when they could not have them; I knew that only too well. If I really offered Bella immortality, if it really was within her reach, would she take it?

"You're ready now, then?" I breathed.

"Um." The determination I had seen in her expression before when discussing this topic immediately vanished, relplaced by intense uncertainty. "Yes?" She made the word a question.

I couldn't hold back a smirk as I dropped my lips to her throat, feeling the heat of her scent on my mouth and her pulse racing on my skin... I could remember with vivid perfection the taste of her blood coursing-

"Right now?" I continued, swallowing my bloodlust as Bella shuddered beneath me.

Cold... Or fear?

her body stiffened, her hands curling into fists around my neck. "Yes," Bella breathed, her heartbeat increasing in tempo.

It hadn't worked; Alice was right. Bella was dead set on becoming a vampire. I chuckled at her naïve stubbornness. "You can't really believe that I would give in so easily."

"A girl can dream," Bella shrugged.

"Is that what you dream about?" I demanded. "Becomig a monster?"

"Not exactly," she hedged, her eyebrows pulling together. "Mostly I dream about being with you forever." Her eyes were searching, pleading. The longing in her voice pulled at my barriers, and I gave in to the sudden urge to outline her delicate lips with my fingertips. I could feel her warm breath on my skin...

"Bella," I whispered. "I _will_ stay with you. Isn't that enough?"

"Enough for now," she smiled.

I huffed an exasperated sigh; so stubborn. But I'd always known I wasn't enough for her, hadn't I?

"Look," Bella said gently, laying a hand upon my cheek. Her touch was so exquisite it almost knocked me breathless. "I love you more than everything else in the world combined. Isn't that enough?"

She loved me. Despite everything else in the world, she held true to that statement more than anything she'd ever voiced. She believed her love to be unwavering; though I ached to believe that myself, I knew that humans and their opinions changed. Bella wasn't just human, though. She was much, much more. Her choices deserved to be respected.

"Yes," I finally said, "Enough for forever."

I bent to kiss Bella's throat once again, feeling her relax and sigh around me. Her love was precious; I could never forget to cherish it.

"Won't you tell me what you're thinking?" I asked quietly, moving my lips to the corner of her jaw.

"Maybe," she said thoughtfully, pulling away to reveal an impish grin. "If you kiss me."

Her bargain had me smiling in response.

"Deal."

* * *

I'll try to have the first chapter of New Moon up as soon as possible. Thanks, and don't forget to follow/review!

Love

Anna


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